A combined image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi. File.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that an “influential global leader” may accompany Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a three-day visit to the State in July.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Assam from July 1 to 3, the Chief Minister said in a Facebook Live broadcast on Saturday (June 13, 2026) night, his first since the April 9 election.
“The Centre has not officially announced the itinerary of anyone accompanying Narendra Modi dangoria (equivalent to ji in Hindi), but we have started work to beautify Guwahati to welcome a top international leader,” Mr. Sarma said.
“We are doing so because the opportunity to have such a global leader as an honoured guest comes once in our lives,” he said.
There are reports that Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae is likely to visit Assam for a Japan-India summit. Her predecessor, Shinzo Abe, was scheduled to hold such a summit with Mr. Modi in Guwahati in December 2019, which was cancelled due to violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
Ms. Sanae’s possible visit will be significant as the two countries work together on developmental projects in India’s strategic northeastern region under the India-Japan Act East Forum.
More express corridors
The Chief Minister said the Centre plans to build an express corridor from Silchar in southern Assam to Siliguri in West Bengal, covering more than 750 km, in four phases.
“The Prime Minister initiated the first phase of the project from Silchar to Barapani (in March). The second phase of the project is from Barapani to Guwahati, the third phase from Guwahati to Srirampur (Assam-West Bengal border), and the fourth phase from Srirampur to Siliguri,” he said.
Estimated to cost ₹22,864 crore, the Shillong-Silchar Greenfield High-Speed Corridor will be a 166.8-km four-lane access-controlled highway connecting Mawlyngkhung near Shillong and Panchgram near Silchar. The project is also known as the Meghalaya Express Corridor.
“We hope to complete the Silchar-Siliguri express highway project during my tenure. We have a dream to extend this corridor eastward from Guwahati to Tinsukia (more than 480 km),” the Chief Minister said.
The government would explore developing the Rupsi airport near western Assam’s Dhubri as a logistics hub because of its proximity to Bangladesh, Bhutan, northern West Bengal, and the Bodoland Territorial Region, Mr. Sarma said.
The airport was built during World War II as a strategic base for the Allied forces, but fell into disuse after India’s Independence. It was revived a few years ago.
Published - June 15, 2026 12:44 pm IST
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